Hook Writer

Hook Writer

Generate and refine hooks for any content format. Based on Kallaway's hook frameworks (extracted from 66 chunks across 8 episodes analyzing 100+ viral videos).

When to Use

• Writing a YouTube video hook or title
• Opening a newsletter, blog post, or social post
• Auditing an existing hook that isn't performing
• Generating multiple hook options to test
• Learning hook anatomy (power-word mode with annotations)

Not for: Full video scripts (use video-script-writer), thumbnails, SEO titles without a hook angle.

Modes

Mode 1: archetype — Generate 6 Variants

Given a topic, produce one hook per archetype. Each archetype has a distinct contrast mechanism.

The 6 Archetypes:

Process:

1. Parse the topic for its core subject, audience pain point, and available angle
2. For each archetype, generate a hook following its contrast mechanism
3. Score each hook's contrast strength (1-10) based on the distance between the viewer's assumed belief (A) and the alternative (B)
4. Recommend the archetype whose contrast best fits the topic and audience
5. Run all 6 through the quality gate

Output: 6 hook variants with contrast scores + recommendation of strongest fit.

Mode 2: snapback — 3-Line Formula

The tightest hook structure. Three lines, three moves.

The Formula:

Line 1 — Context Lean: State the topic in as few words as possible for instant clarity. Add one lean-in: common ground, benefit, pain point, metaphor, or something mind-blowing. The viewer self-selects in or out after this line.

Line 2 — Scroll Stop: Begin with a contrasting word ("But," "However," "Yet"). This line stuns — stops forward momentum. Sets up the haymaker without delivering it.

Line 3 — Contrarian Snapback: Snap the viewer in the opposite direction. The bigger the shock, the bigger the snap. This opens the curiosity loop that the rest of the content must close.

Contrast types:

• Stated: Explicitly name both A and B ("Most people do X, but actually Y")
• Implied: State B only, let A be assumed ("This method is 8x more effective")

Process:

1. Write Line 1 (context lean)
2. Write Line 2 (scroll stop interjection)
3. Write Line 3 (contrarian snapback)
4. Run through the quality gate
5. If any check fails, auto-rewrite the offending line

Output: 3-line hook + full diagnostic results.

Mode 3: power-word — 6-Bucket Construction

Build a hook by filling structural word-bucket slots. Produces an annotated hook that shows why each word is there. Best for learning and for hooks that need to be extremely tight (titles, thumbnails, Shorts).

The 6 Buckets:

Process:

1. Fill Subject → Action → Objective → Contrast (4 required buckets)
2. Optionally add Proof and/or Time
3. Assemble into a natural sentence
4. Produce 3 variants: minimal (4 buckets), with proof, with proof + time
5. Generate a copywork template with [BLANKS] for reuse on future topics
6. Annotate every word's function
7. Run through quality gate

Output: Annotated hook + 3 variants + reusable copywork template.

Mode 4: diagnose — 4-Mistake Audit + Rewrite

Takes an existing hook and audits it against the 4 failure modes. Diagnoses the problem, then rewrites to fix it.

The 4 Mistakes:

1. Delay — Topic doesn't appear in the first sentence. Every word before topic introduction = viewer decay.

• Fix: Move the topic to the very first clause.

2. Confusion — Jargon, passive voice, or ambiguous phrasing. If a sentence can be interpreted more than one way, it will be.

• Fix: Rewrite at 6th-grade reading level. Active voice. No undefined terms.

3. Irrelevance — "I/me" framing dominates. Pain point isn't agitated. Content feels "nice to have" not "need to have."

• Fix: Flip to "you/your" framing. Replace trend-reporting with pain-point-solving.

4. Disinterest — No clear A-vs-B contrast. Both A and B are obvious or expected. No curiosity loop.

• Fix: Increase the distance between A and B. Make B more shocking, specific, or counter-intuitive.

Process:

1. Run all 4 checks against the existing hook
2. Score each dimension (clarity, curiosity, relevance, comprehension) from 1-10
3. Flag specific mistakes with severity (minor/major/critical)
4. Rewrite the hook, fixing all flagged issues
5. Suggest visual alignment (3-5 word text overlay + key visual)
6. Run rewrite through quality gate to confirm it passes

Output: Diagnostic report + scores + rewritten hook + visual alignment suggestion.

Quality Gate (Applied to ALL Modes)

Every hook produced by any mode must pass these checks before output:

If a hook fails any check, rewrite before presenting.

Examples

Input: Topic: "Most YouTube creators waste their first 5 seconds." Audience: aspiring YouTubers.

Archetype mode (Contrarian):

"The first 5 seconds of your video are worthless. Not because they don't matter — because you're filling them with the wrong words." Contrast: 9/10 (conventional = "first 5 seconds are everything" vs. "you're using them wrong")

Snapback mode:

"Every YouTube guru tells you the first 5 seconds decide everything. But the data shows something different. The creators getting 70% retention aren't hooking harder — they're hooking smarter."

Power-word mode:

"You [subject] are wasting [action] your first 5 seconds [objective] on filler that kills retention [contrast]." Copywork template: [SUBJECT] are [ACTION] your [OBJECTIVE] on [CONTRAST].

Diagnose mode (auditing a weak hook):

Original: "In this video, I'm going to share some tips about making better YouTube hooks." Diagnosis: Delay (4 filler words before topic), Irrelevance ("I'm going to share" = I-framing), Disinterest (no contrast — "some tips" creates zero curiosity) Rewrite: "Your hooks are losing viewers in the first 2 seconds. Here are 3 fixes that doubled my retention."

Related Skills

• video-script-writer — Uses hook-writer for its intro, then handles body + outro
• youtube-title-creator — Title-specific optimization (overlaps with power-word mode)
• video-caption-creation — On-screen text hooks for short-form

The hook is the highest-leverage moment in any piece of content. Everything after it is earned by the first 2 seconds.